


Law of Equivalent Exchange

by BabyChocoboAlchemist



Series: The Zodiac Crownsguard [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Soft Episode Prompto Spoilers, rarepairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 17:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11422410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: Prompto confronts a simple yet horrible truth about his long-time boyfriend, Vaan. Vaan's given so much to him but there's something he needs, and needs badly. It's something pretty simple, actually-something everyone else has. Vaan brushes it off casually, but Prompto's determined to fix the gaping hole in his boyfriend's life.(Dedicated to Ischemia and made in honor of the upcoming 'Zodiac Age' release, coming July 11th 2017. Written to prove that if you believe in it enough, any crack ship can work.)





	Law of Equivalent Exchange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ischemia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ischemia/gifts).



> In this verse, Vaan's heavily based off his Dissidia and Revenant Wings storylines: he and Penelo work as their own brand of Sky Pirates, while Balthier and Fran take two proteges under their wings: Noctis and Prompto. I chose to base Vaan off of the Vaans seen in other games, versus the original Vaan, because XII's Vaan is a passenger to the storyline while his other selves are feistier. Passionate and a little more charismatic than his original self. 
> 
> This piece has Prompto fresh off his abduction, Vaan and the others having just rescued him from Ardyn, Verstael and Balthier's father. The world has been saved from the previously mentioned trio and all is calm. The title of this piece was inspired by a scene in the finale of Fullmetal Alchemist, in which Edward Elric makes a legendary proposal to Winry Rockbell.

_"I actually don't have a last name."_

Vaan's words echoed in his mind even as the morning's soft waves stirred him, leaving him with no drive to grab ahold of the unfolding morning's tranquility. His fellow Sky Pirate revealed that bit of truth to one of his fans, one of the vendors they encountered during last night's shopping trip in Downtown Rabanastre, and while Vaan mentioned that particular bit of truth in the most casual tone, each word was a dagger piercing his other half's heart. The absence of his boyfriend's last name was something they encountered from time to time, with Vaan merely introducing himself to clients as 'Vaan' while Prompto revealed himself to be an Argentum, but the revelation never struck home until last night. Like the moron he always believed himself to be, he assumed Vaan was shy about revealing his last name-but the truth turned out to be pretty simple. There wasn't a last name to reveal. 

Gentle shades of evening serenity had painted the downtown farmer's market in vivid, magical splendor, gifting the vendors and their offerings with life's most fervent spices, but a certain young photographer found himself unable to enjoy the nighttime celebration. Penelo's brother, someone that had become one of Prompto's closest lifelines within the last couple of months, had his heart set on treating the photographer to a special night. He had sworn to make every night a special for Balthier's protege, as it was the least he could do. After all, Prompto had changed his life in the most incredible ways. The chocobo-loving photographer gave him life on an hourly basis, transforming even the smallest sights into magnificent wonders. Making it wondrously, ridiculously easy to climb out of bed with a smile so bright, the sun found itself intensely jealous of Vaan at the break of every dawn. Would it be asking too much to make sure every minute of Prompto's life was nothing short of a wonderful, magical parade? Not in Vaan's book. But as he swept the ingredients for Daggerquill Ricebowls into his arms, he noticed something was wrong with the young man he had fallen madly in love with. Was the one at his side hungry? Cold? Was he not feeling well? Vaan turned to him with eyes wielding the deepest, softest concern.

_"Everything okay?"_

_"N-n-not really,"_ Prompto stammered. It was at that very moment a hundred red flags went up. Vaan had spent enough time around the photographer to know that Prompto only stammered whenever something was gravely wrong and needed immediate correction. _"Um, you, um...you said you don't have a last name,"_ the freckled gunner went on, scratching his arm, head bowed in a clear show of discomfort. Guilt and sadness shot to levels Vaan found unforgivable. Prompto had been introduced to the darkest recesses of Hell far too many times. Allowing him to wander anywhere near those memories, for even a second? Vaan knew that if he didn't remedy the situation quickly, he would have to bow off the stage in defeat. Balthier would end up being right: he really wouldn't be anything but a no-good, pathetic excuse of a Sky Pirate. True Sky Pirates never allowed treasures to lose their luster, and in Vaan's book, he was looking at the most precious treasure of all. _"Yeah, so?"_ the pirate shrugged, his voice as gentle as the evening breeze. 

Vaan rushed to settle a hand on Prompto's shoulder, giving him a bright, comforting smile. _"Don't worry so much about it,"_ he pressed, then pressed his lips to the other's forehead in a gentle kiss. _"It's not that big of a deal, really."_

Unfortunately, that did absolutely nothing to appease Balthier's favorite protege. Vaan noted Prompto's distress and constantly set about bringing up topics to lighten his spirits, his photos of the Skycity, the Raithwall Tombs and chocobos being only a few of them, but Prompto's head remained bowed for the remainder of the evening. How could he possibly enjoy the other's company after he had just revealed such a grim truth-passing it off as though he had just said 'I'm Vaan, a Sky Pirate'? He spent so much time groaning about not having a happy childhood, over not having a family that loved him until he literally ran into Balthier's first protege, Noctis, at Bhujerba, but couldn't take five minutes to figure out Vaan didn't have a last name? It wasn't that he was shy about it, it wasn't that it came with a tome full of wounds-he didn't have one. Balthier invited him, the stupid, worthless garbage he scraped up off the streets, to adopt his last name-but Vaan didn't have one at all. Nor did he have any such offers for adoption.

The Sky Pirate Penelo loved like a brother fought to lighten his spirits, but Prompto couldn't get what had been said out of his mind. Nothing was _ever_ a big deal when it came to Vaan the Sky Pirate, but if anything ever gave Prompto a papercut, the only thing that could help the assailant was a prayer to the goddesses because Vaan would let all Hell break loose. It had been like that for months. Even when they were friends, Vaan was fiercely protective of him, always swearing to protect him at the immediate risk of losing his own life. Not that Prompto was proud of Vaan always being ready to sacrifice himself, but the other pirate's nobility was a torch that led him through his darkest hours. Along with every other member of his family, Vaan never left his side in the wake of a revelation that should have shattered every element of his precious world-when he, above all others, had the right to pack his things and bolt in the blink of an eye. Finding out your boyfriend was artificially created in a lab and designed to blow up all of mankind? Should've been a dealbreaker. But for Vaan-

_"You're YOU. What you are doesn't matter. It's 'who' you are that counts, and you're our Prompto."_

Apparently, Vaan's standards were pretty low when it came to acceptable boyfriends. 

As night continued to paint Rabanastre's Sky Pirate headquarters in a serene, azure lullaby, Prompto rose from restless slumber while rubbing his eyes. He looked over at the one sleeping beside him, taking great care not to awaken him. It hurt, knowing he had ruined their night by skulking through a dark grave of worries, but Vaan always rubbed everything about himself off so casually. He was a torch in the lives of others, always ready to risk the flesh on his bones to protect not only a certain photographer but the photographer's brothers and friends. The self-taught Sky Pirate was one of Ignis' staunch supporters in the wake of the airship mechanic losing his sight, urging him to 'never let anyone take away who you are'. 'You're still Ignis, no matter what happens'. Vaan was first in line helping Ignis to open his cafe. He was practically giddy in giving Noctis permission to court his little sister 'Penny', after the young swordsman risked life and limb to save her during a mission that had everyone's hair standing upright. Vaan was a staunch supporter of everyone-but himself. 

The gunner caressed the sleeping pirate's face with a gentle hand, eyes alive with longing, warmth and memories. Vaan had done nothing but surrender so much of himself to heal those around him-to heal _him,_ a beast created in Cid's and Verstael's laboratory, giving nothing to himself in the process. Prompto, meanwhile, carried stones on his back over having no true birth family, having a surrogate family that couldn't stand the sight of him-the list went on and on and on and on and could've went on for a thousand more pages. Vaan, meanwhile-

Didn't have a last name.

The one sleeping beside him stirred, gently drawn into awakening by a kiss pressed against his forehead. Seeing Prompto awake was always cause for tremendous concern, as the gunner was a recent victim of vivid, violent nightmares. What if he had just emerged from another one about his so-called father? "What's up?" Vaan asked instantly, his tone urgent yet softer than the midnight calm. He whisked the other into his arms.

"Forget about whatever you saw, okay? Whatever it was, you're here now. You're home."

The photographer beamed at him, brushing off his concern with a warm, tearful smile. "I know," he replied with a nod. "I'm okay, really. No bad dreams here! I just couldn't stop thinking about what you said. You know, at the market. About you not having a last name."

Prompto cut off Vaan's budding remarks. "I know you said it's not really that big of a deal, but it is, kind of. It's a _really_ big deal. It's a big deal to me. So I kinda sorta had an idea."

"What?"

The smile Vaan received was blindingly beautiful, one delicate yet strong with devotion.

"I want you to take _my_ last name."

**Author's Note:**

> In brainstorming a piece for Ischemia that wouldn't be all doom and gloom, like my normal Prompto-centric pieces, I dug into a cookie jar of ideas-then realized a teeny tiny something: I couldn't find Vaan listed with a last name. I looked everywhere, but Final Fantasy XII's Aladdin (as someone called him) wasn't spotted with a last name. It may have been just a simple decision on the part of the staff, but I chalked it up to Vaan living among Rabanastre's orphans-especially since a wide collection of other characters have last names. So, in being an orphan, Vaan grew up without a last name.
> 
> Thank you for reading. :)


End file.
